After Sunday’s snowstorm, Burnaby is busy clearing local roadways.
The city prioritizes main arterial streets like Lougheed, Kingsway and Canada Way, emergency response routes, bus routes and collector streets, streets bordering senior and long-term care facilities, local roads with limited access and local roads bordering elementary schools.
Snowplows on Burnaby streets
As of early afternoon on Monday, Dec. 19, Burnaby’s priority routes were clear, and snowplows were beginning work on local roads and streets.
The city said on its website that shovel crews will remove snow from pedestrian areas at bus stops, wheelchair ramps, parking lots in high-traffic locations and sidewalks at civic facilities.
You can find a map online of snow removal routes in Burnaby.
Burnaby roads were pre-treated with brine and ice-melt granules to prevent ice buildup. Sidewalks and paved pathways on city properties were pre-salted.
Highway 1, along with the on and off ramps and overpasses for Burnaby exits, is a provincial route maintained by Mainroad Contracting.
While the city’s road crews have been out on 24-hour operations, they’ll likely have to keep up the hard work.
Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for Metro Vancouver, estimating 10 to 20 centimetres of snowfall beginning in the late afternoon of Monday, Dec. 19 until the afternoon of Tuesday, Dec. 20.
The B.C. Ministry of Transportation has advised drivers to stay off the road unless their vehicle has winter tires.
SkyTrain service in the snow
The snow has also inconvenienced public transit users. TransLink has told riders to give themselves extra travel time and reminded them to dress warmly to anticipate delays.
As of Monday, the Expo Line temporarily terminates at Lougheed Town Centre station rather than Production Way – University station. Riders looking to get to Production Way must take the Millennium Line at Lougheed.
TransLink has replaced its articulated buses with 40-foot conventional buses where needed, as they are “more agile on steep, slippery areas.”
With less frequent service, the Millennium Line has seen four-car train configurations, rather than the regular two, as well as larger Mark III train cars usually seen on the Expo Line.
SkyTrain attendants are riding the trains to monitor guideways and are at certain stations with hockey sticks to clear ice and snow from SkyTrain car wheels.
If conditions worsen, TransLink plans to install “tire socks” on buses on Burnaby Mountain, as well as certain North Shore and Vancouver routes, where traction is an issue. It would also put two staff members in each HandyDART vehicle to ensure riders get to their door.
For TransLink updates, see its website or Twitter for real-time updates.
